1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an air mass flow meter having a housing made of plastic which has an electrically insulating effect, a flow channel being formed in the housing, and having a sensor element which is arranged in the housing and detects the air mass flowing in the flow channel, and conductor tracks which connect the sensor element to connection pins being arranged in the housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the context of this application, the term “air” is used as an example of a gas or gas mixture, the mass flow of which can be determined. In principle, the mass flow of any gas or gas mixture can be determined using the air mass flow meter according to the invention.
Such air mass flow meters are known and are used in large numbers, for example, in automobiles in order to detect the air mass flowing to an internal combustion engine. Depending on the air mass flow detected by the air mass flow meter, both diagnoses, for example of the operation of the internal combustion engine, and control of the internal combustion engine can be carried out. For these purposes, detection of the actual air mass flow, which is also reliable and as precise as possible under different operating conditions, is important.
European Published Patent Application EP 0 458 998 A1 discloses an air mass flow meter having a housing in which a flow channel is formed and in which a flow straightener is introduced upstream of a sensor element. The flow straightener comprises a honeycomb body and a ring which projects beyond the honeycombs in the direction of flow and in which a grating is embedded at a distance from the honeycombs, which grating generates microvortices.